In this article, we’ll analyze the long-run pace of each car in FP2 of the Singapore GP.
1. The Power Balance on Medium Tyres
First of all, Fig.1 shows the long-run pace of the drivers who were on medium tyres. For visibility reasons, it is divided into two parts, and Alonso and Lawson are the common drivers in both graphs.
Among the top contenders, Alonso, Hamilton, and Perez seem to be comparable. This time Perez outperformed Verstappen (the graph is omitted, though), and whether Verstappen is clearly quicker than Perez as usual will determine the power balance between Red Bull and its rival teams.
And what is interesting is that following the top three were Leclerc and Lawson. As can be seen from Fig. 1-2, Lawson’s pace was far ahead of the lower midfield teams, and I think that AlphaTauri is so competitive this time.
2. Norris on Softs is an Unknown Factor
Next, we show the long-run pace of Alonso (medium) and Norris (soft).
Norris can be seen as either equal to or slightly faster than Alonso. However, Norris was on soft tyres, and it is difficult to quantitatively derive the performance difference between medium and soft tyres from the FP2 data this time. The Haas team tried both types of tires, and Hulkenberg on mediums showed a pace about 0.3 seconds quicker, but how much we can trust that is quite questionable.
If the medium tires are quicker, then this would be a great chance for Norris to win his first race. Or, if there is not much difference in performance between softs and mediums, and the pace of Red Bull drivers, Alonso, Hamilton, Norris and others are close, then the race could become an exciting one where strategic elements decide the outcome.
Writer: Takumi